Bernadette Jaramillo took on an expanded role at Asarco LLC to apply their previous organization knowledge and creativity to develop new onboarding and mentoring resources for their HR department.
How did you get your internship?
My internship was through my current place of employment, Asarco, which is a copper mine that has multiple locations in Arizona. I started with the company seven years ago as a payroll clerk and recently developed an interest in the human resources part of organizations. Internships are offered every summer for other college students so I thought I would inquire about the possibility of doing my internship over the summer as well. I decided on a seven week internship course and talked with the HR manager at Asarco to see if I could work as one of the summer interns. It was a little tricky because I still had to keep my regular duties at work, but I was fortunate enough for my site supervisor to say yes.
Why did you choose this internship?
I decided to intern with the same organization because I wanted to learn more about the functions of HR especially in large organizations. I also feel like the current HR team that we have is very knowledgeable and has been a huge support and one of the reasons why I felt like pursuing a career in HR. I also chose this internship because I wanted to use my creativity to create beneficial resources for current employees in the organization. There was also the opportunity to use this internship to explore other units within the organization that I may be interested in pursuing.
What was the most meaningful part of your internship?
The most meaningful part of this internship has been creating things that the company can use for many years to come. I created a benefits brochure that showcases all the company has to offer for new employees. This brochure will be an aid for all new employees completing onboarding in the future.
My other big project was to create a mentorship program that we could use within the company. This mentorship program will be a resource for all new employees so that they feel ready to do their assigned tasks and act as a support program for all new hires, especially those that have never been in the mining industry. Given the seven weeks that I had for the internship, I made great progress with the mentorship program however, this is something that I will continue to work on until we find the right time to incorporate it in the company.
What did you find most challenging about your internship?
The most challenging thing about the internship was keeping up with my current role and keeping up with deadlines for my current position. Payroll is demanding and timely, so it can take precedence over other projects. Managing my time when I had those concurrent projects was difficult, but I was able to overcome that and make contributions in my internship while maintaining my current responsibilities.
How has your internship experience influenced your plans for your future?
I hope to utilize this experience to be more marketable within my organization. I truly do love the work that I do now but having a job that contributes to the better of the organization would be more fulfilling. Being able to be part of the hiring processes and retention of employees would be an ideal scenario for me as I continue my career journey within the organization.
What advice do you have for other students as they search for their internship?
My only advice is to do something that you are passionate about. Find an area in which you would like to focus and pursue it. Also, keep in mind that if you are an employee at an organization, you do not have to find a new organization to complete your internship activities at. If you are more interested in the work another department does, pursue it.